Never Knowing
by Very Sincerely Yours
Summary: Post 3-14. Kol wants revenge and that means Damon is in trouble. Can Stefan get there in time? Will he finally understand that he cares? Very fast-paced.
1. three letter words

**Never Knowing**

SUMMARY- Kol wants revenge and that means Damon is in trouble. Can Stefan get there in time? Will he finally understand that he cares? Very fast-paced. One-shot but read the bold, I may add another chapter.

**Hey,**

**This is very fast paced. Like very, very. I'm probably going to re-write it, but this is how it's staying until I get time.**

**t.t.f.n.**

…

Three letter words are often taken for granted. No-one thinks about them, they only pass through conversations like ghosts. We do not think it is possible for a three letter word to be overused and we are right. They are not learnt or memorized like longer words. They simply exist with only one purpose, to join one thing to another. As fillers, not meaning to be important and being quite successful at that. But that was how it started for him this time. His mind did not register the meaning of the word until it was too late. Possibly because he was not expecting company on that particular evening. Maybe because no-one begins these sorts of meetings with three letter words or expects them to begin this way. It's either silence and a sneak attack or a conversation slowly forming into an argument. This attacker however did not say anything other than a three letter word and yet it was the most terrifying thing to say at the time. Especially because the smile that accompanied it was twisted into a sinister and cruel sneer that would make the most ruthless killer shiver.

"Boo."

Damon barely had time to turn before he was thrown into the wall and a sharp piece of wood was driven into his side. He looked up and saw Kol, fangs bared, glaring at him. He definitely pissed off that Original. Slowly, doing his best not to wince, he wrapped his hand around the stake and pulled it out.

"Well, that is one way to say hello."

"You attacked me; I'm just returning the favor."

Kol lunged and even though Damon was ready for him this time he was still knocked into the wall again, this time with the Original's arm through his stomach. He gasped and doubled-over despite himself, clinging to the arm to try and control the pain. Kol brought his head down and whispered into Damon's ear.

"Hurts, doesn't it?"

Twisting his arm violently, the Original threw Damon across the room. He hit the wall with a sickening crack but Kol sped over and locked one hand around his throat before he could touch the floor. In less than a second Kol ripped into Damon's throat, tearing at the flesh. He stopped again almost instantly, spiting up blood.

"Vervain."

Damon managed a lop-sided grin despite his weakened state, unable to speak. Kol growled and sped to the basement, throwing Damon into one of the cells. The heavy door closed with a loud 'clunk'.

"Smile at that," Kol growled as he walked away. He started to leave but a thought crossed his mind and he stepped back into the parlor. It took him all of six minutes to clean the blood off the floor and walls.

With one last smirk, he left the Boarding House.

No-one would ever never know he was there.

…

Stefan didn't come back to the Boarding House until the next day, and when he did he didn't even begin to suspect any foul play. He barely thought about his brother at all.

The next day was no different. He came and went and simply thought that Damon was avoiding him. But even though he had dismissed thoughts of his brother's whereabouts instantly, the seed of doubt was planted and it started growing. Unfortunately for Damon, Elena managed to occupy Stefan's time for the remainder of that day.

After that Stefan started to get worried. He asked Elena first but she said that she hadn't heard from Damon since the night of the Ball. Alaric hadn't spoken to him since before that. He spent a few hours in town, checking the Grill and anywhere else he thought his brother might've been.

That night Stefan returned to the boarding house, fuming. He picked up a glass, but before he could poor himself a drink, smashed it against the floor. He took deep breaths to calm himself and without even glancing down at the mess, he made his way down to the basement, opening the fridge and taking a blood-bag.

On his way back he noticed something he should've noticed a long time ago. One of the cells was shut. He never closed the cell doors for no reason. He went back through his memories, trying to remember if he'd been the one to close the door. He came up with a blank and after dropping the blood-bag on a rusted shelf he walked towards the cell in question and glanced through the bars. He didn't see any-one, which made him even more curious. Slowly and with extra caution, Stefan pulled the latch and opened the door. He stepped into the cell, scanning the space. He didn't see anything at first and sighed, beginning to doubt himself. Maybe he had closed it? It wasn't that big a deal…

He turned to leave but stopped in his tracks. Damon was lying in the corner, curled up in a ball. His eyes were closed and a small pool of dried blood surrounded him, making him seem pale and small.

Stefan had never been faster in his entire un-dead life. He ran to his brother, turning him over and pulling him into his arms. He shook Damon violently, trying for some sort of reaction from his brother. He was surprised when Damon moaned softly. He could barely hear his brother breathing.

Stefan lifted his brother and ran into the parlor, laying Damon on the couch. He sped back down and retrieved his blood-bag, ripping it open as he ran. He kneeled next to Damon and tilted his head back, pouring a small amount of blood into mouth. Damon was able to swallow, but still coughed painfully. Stefan managed to get him to drink almost half the bag before he started to choke. He stopped immediately, hoping it was enough to keep his brother alive for now.

He cursed under his breath when he saw that his brother's neck wasn't healing.

Damon started to gasp softly, one of his hands clawing at the couch. Stefan brought the blood-bag back to Damon's mouth and sighed with relief as he started to drink on his own. It became more and more desperate as Damon slowly became stronger.

Stefan placed the empty bag on the floor next to them. He was glad to see some colour come back into his brother's face. He wiped a trail of blood off of Damon's cheek.

"Damon?"

Blue eyes opened and struggled to focus.

"Stef…"

"I'm here," he said softly, brushing back Damon's hair.

"Knew you'd find me," Damon mumbled, closing his eyes again. Stefan's heart wrenched painfully. It was then that noticed the gaping hole in Damon's stomach. He cursed again and ran down to retrieve another blood-bag. Damon drank this one just as eagerly.

"Who did this Damon? Tell me."

Damon only moaned, coughing slightly. He tried to bury his face in the pillow but the movement sent a wave of pain through his body and he cried out. He reached subconsciously for his brother, but Stefan had already left again, getting him more blood. Part of him was glad, he felt like his hunger was ripping him to pieces, but the rest of him wished Stefan would stay. Just so he didn't have to keep worrying that the door would open and Kol would walk through, grinning maliciously and planning to _literally_ rip him to pieces.

But he was just so tired. He had held on for his brother. There was so much to say, but Damon could barely form words let alone coherent ones. He wished Stefan knew how hard he had tried. He wanted to tell his brother how much their recent arguments had hurt him, that he didn't really hate him at all. Funny how much thinking you could do while slowly starving to death.

He reached further, his eyes beginning to close again.

He had never needed his brother this much in his entire life.

…

**The End**

**Kidding! **

**To die or not to die, that is the question for our dear Damon…**

…

Stefan took Damon's limp hand in his own, shaking his brother.

Damon managed to keep his eyes open a fraction, but he was having trouble thinking straight. He only knew that his brother was here. That he wouldn't die alone. So when Stefan brought more blood to his mouth he shook his head, trying to be assertive but failing miserably. Still, Stefan saw the movement and started to argue with him, forgetting that he was in a critical condition and could barely understand half the words that were being spoken.

Damon used as much energy as he could to squeeze his brother's hand and Stefan stopped talking immediately, looking at his brother with scared eyes.

"Who did it?" Stefan whispered. He needed to know, no matter what happened.

"… K-Kol" The word was barely audible and left Damon short of breath.

"I'm gonna kill him!' Stefan shouted, ripping his hand away from Damon's and starting to pace the room. He was angry, but his anger was directed inward. He had walked past his brother for three days, left him starving and hadn't even cared. He did care. Brothers always cared.

"Stef…"

The weak croak brought him back to reality and he sat down on the couch, moving his brother's head into his lap.

"Come on… just drink a little more…"

Damon shook his head once, too weak to do anything more. He could almost see Stefan break apart. His eyes were beginning to lose focus so he closed them. The idea of seeing the world around him turn black made him shudder.

"Just stay…" Damon mumbled almost inaudibly, leaning into his brother. He felt Stefan's arms tighten and relaxed further.

But Stefan didn't want to let him go. He couldn't live without his brother. Damon had promised him an eternity and he was going to hold him to his word. He called to Damon again, begging him to open his eyes. When Damon made no move to respond, his heart sank and he buried his face in his brother's dark hair. He knew he was crying but he didn't care. He should have cared about more important things long before then.

Stefan felt Damon stir and brought his head back so he could see his brother's face. Damon's eyes were open, but they were un-focused and glassy. Stefan was only glad that his brother had heard him.

"Hey… you've got to hold on okay? Please…"

Although Damon was too out of it to register the meaning of the words, he still replied, his voice becoming dangerously soft at times.

"I tried Stef… I waited for you, don't… don't leave me alone again… please…"

Stefan felt the familiar pang of guilt run through him and cried harder.

"Never again. I promise," he whispered, brushing his fingers along Damon's cheek. "But you need to hold on. I need you to…"

Damon leaned his cheek into Stefan's hand.

"… I'll try Stef, I'll… I'll try…"

Damon's eyes closed and his face whitened further. Stefan could no longer hear him breathing, even with his enhanced hearing and that scared him. He didn't think he had been more scared in his life. Still, he rocked his brother slowly, whispering soothing nonsense.

As he looked down at Damon's pale face he vowed not to move until his brother woke up.

He never moved again.

...

**Seems pretty final, doesn't it? I don't like to write after death drama. It's too… dramatic.**

**You'll just have to read the next chapter then. :)**

**t.t.f.n.**

…**again.**


	2. Couldn't Care Less

**Never Knowing**

Chapter 2- Couldn't Care Less

**Thanks for the idea of a magic revival. This is kind of strange, I wasn't sure whether it would work. I don't know if I should re-write it, so let me know. Now,we have something special. A resurrection. Oh, sweet resurrection…**

**t.t.f.n.**

Stefan didn't hear Ric enter the boarding house. That may have been strange, but he couldn't have cared less.

When Ric tapped him on the shoulder and asked him what the hell was wrong with Damon he didn't so much as bat an eyelid. Ric may have been annoyed but he couldn't have cared less.

As soon as Ric started yelling at him he ran his fingers through Damon's hair again, as if to make sure his brother didn't feel scared. It may have been silly but he couldn't have cared less.

It was only when Ric ran in front of him and shook his unresponsive brother rather violently that he snapped.

In the next second Ric was thrown across the room and landed with a sickening crunch on the floor. The teacher looked back at Stefan with confused and angry eyes but that look was lost as soon as he saw the younger vampire cradling his brother protectively against his chest.

Stefan knew that he could've seriously injured Ric but at that time, he couldn't have cared less.

And so Ric picked himself up, walked over to Stefan and told him that they would fix it. He looked into the vampires eyes and made him look back. He ordered Stefan to take Damon to the Witch House and promised to bring Bonnie. He didn't know if she wanted to help, but at that moment he knew that Stefan didn't care. That he couldn't have cared less.

Stefan stood up and carried his brother out of the boarding house rather reluctantly. He had promised not to move, but if he didn't he wouldn't ever move again. He walked the entire way to the Witch House, trying not to think about how vulnerable Damon looked at that moment. Any-one could have hurt his brother, killed him even, if Stefan wasn't holding him so tightly. The thought made him shudder. And so, because he had already broken his first silent vow, he made another one. No-one would hurt his brother. If they did he would kill them. Rip them to pieces and drain them dry. He swore than he would keep his word this time, no matter what would happen if he did. If what he would do would throw the world into war, he wouldn't be able to care less.

Stefan walked straight into the Witch House, to the right and down a set of stairs. There was a little room at the bottom, one with a rug on the floor and some un-lit candles on shelves along the walls. He sat down, holding Damon in his lap, and brushed his brother's hair out of his closed eyes again. The room was dusty and the air was stale, but he couldn't have cared less.

Stefan looked up at the ceiling, his eyes shining with tears. He didn't know if they could hear him, but still he begged the witches to help him, to bring his brother back so he could make everything right. It seemed like hours, but that didn't matter. He cared now. He had never cared more. He didn't stop crying or pleading with the air, unsure if he was being heard and listened to or heard and ignored. He knew that they could hear him though. He thought that the whole world could have heard him at that point.

He didn't hear Alaric arrive out-side, with or without Bonnie. He never thought that she would help anyway. He didn't hear the rain that had started to fall, or the storm that had followed it. He had thought that it was going to be stormy anyway. He didn't hear the candles flicker into life. He knew that that happened here sometimes when the witches sensed people in the house. Part of him wondered why they had been lit now, even though he was not a person and the witches definitely knew that. The other part of him couldn't have cared less. He no-longer heard his own cries or felt the tears run down his cheeks, but he knew that they were still pouring. He never expected them to stop. He wouldn't have wanted them to. He thought that maybe all the noise had all mingled in with the wind, which was all he could hear anymore. His arms were so tight around Damon that he thought he could have felt his brother's stomach digesting if it had been digesting anything, which he knew it wasn't. The second before he stopped begging was the second when he looked down at his brothers face. Damon looked so delicate, so fragile, so vulnerable. That was when a thought hit him. It hit him so hard that he thought a gun had been fired and the bullet was ripping its way through his skull.

They were brothers and they were supposed to love each other.

That hurt him like nothing else would.

"Please," he whispered. Stefan didn't recognize the sound of his own voice. He couldn't have cared less. "Bring him back. Come back…"

Stefan closed his eyes again and pressed his lips softly against his brother's forehead. Nothing mattered anymore. He cared. Damon helped him, _made_ him care, but Damon would never know that he really, truly did.

"I love you brother."

He thought they would be the last words he would ever say. He didn't know if any-one had heard him. If every-thing was going to be okay. He wanted it to be okay so, _so_ badly but his mind told him that it would never be that way. When the room started to shake and candles almost burst as their little flames reached for the sky his heart told him something else entirely.

And because he couldn't hear much of anything anymore and what he did hear sounded mixed in with the wind, he didn't realize that Damon had started gasping for air. The wind sounded different though and that was enough to make him want to look down. He didn't though, because suddenly Damon was clinging to him just as tightly as he was clinging to Damon. He didn't know how it happened but he knew for sure that it definitely did. Stefan felt the world crash back into place. He could hear and see and feel again and it was brilliant. The rain sounded like rain, the thunder sounded like thunder and Damon's harsh gasps sounded like what he imagined the best sound in the world would be. His eyes weren't foggy and he could see every tiny bit of dust in the room. He wanted to see Damon, but he refused to let go. He didn't mind that though, not when he could feel Damon moving again. His brother was shaking and breathing and clinging to him and he had never felt more relief or happiness in his life. He thanked the witches in his mind, but he didn't think that they had heard him. He couldn't make his voice work, or shape the words he wanted to shape. Still, he knew that the witches knew how grateful he was though, and were probably leaving him and Damon alone now. As grateful as he was, he didn't care about any-one else.

The world could have been exploding, splitting in two, falling to pieces beneath his feet and in that single, tiny, insignificant and yet incredibly important moment he couldn't have possibly, no matter what the circumstances were or could have been, _ever,_ have cared less.

And yet, he had never cared more.

...

I just went through and fixed all the Stefans, so let me know if i missed any.


End file.
